Bumper for furniture legs



Sept. 24, 1957 R. A. CRAMER BUMPER FOR FURNITURE LEGS Filed July 23,1956 INVENTOR. Roy A.C mmel:

United States Patent l BUMPER FOR FURNITURE LEGS Roy A. Cramer, KansasCity, M0., assignor to Cramer Posture Chair Company, Inc., Kansas City,Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application July 23, 1956, Serial No.599,535

2 Claims. (Cl. 16-42) This invention relates to bumpers for the legs offurniture, and more particularly to a bumper for chair legs of the shoeglide type.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a bumperon the lower end of the chair leg and secured thereto by a shoe; toprovide a bumper of this character which extends outwardly from theperiphery of the lower end of the leg of furniture to prevent the chairfrom marring the walls or other pieces of furniture in the room; toprovide a bumper on the lower end of the leg of the chair to preventmarring of the chair when storing the same or for shipping in nestedrelation; to provide the shoe including the glide member with a rubberbumper whereby the shoe may be pressed into the open end of the leg ofthe chair and retained thereon by gripping means; to provide forresilient action in the shoe and bumper member to accommodate for theweight of the user of the chair; and to provide a device of thischaracter simple and economical to manufacture.

In accomplishing these and other objects of my invention I have providedimproved details of structure the preferred forms of which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower portion of a chairleg and chair seat showing my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the shoe for the lower end of the chairshowing the rubber bumper.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the shoe including the bumper.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View taken on a line 4 4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a disassembled view of the :parts of the shoe including therubber bumper.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a chair frame and 2 a chair leg of hollow construction asindicated at 3 preferably of metal, such as aluminum or the like, andthe lower' end being open for receiving a shoe indicated generally at 4.

The shoe comprises a resilient member 5 preferably molded of rubberhaving a horizontal plane bottom surface 6 and has its annular side wall7 rounded and tapered inwardly forming an annular groove S therearound.The rubber member 5 has a tapered upper portion 9 and is provided with acentral bore l), the upper portion of the bore of the bumper beingenlarged as indicated at 11. The lower portion of the rubber member 5has a central counterbore socket 12 and from the upper edge 13 of whichis extended an annular groove 14 for receiving a cup shaped ange 15 on astem 16 adapted to extend through the central bore lf3 of the rubbermember, the cup shaped ange being suitably formed or rigidly secured tothe stem as best illustrated in Fig. 3.

A resilient rubber bumper 17 is here shown to be of substantially squareshape, although I do not wish to be limited to any particular shape ofchair leg or bumper. It has a central tapered -opening 18 for engagingover the stem 16 and has its lower surface conforming substan- ICCtially to the upper surface of the rubber member 5 also as. bestillustrated in Fig. 3. The bumper 17 has an annular upstanding ange 19around the upper portion thereof and an annular shoulder 20 whichengages the upwardly tapered portion 9 of the rubber member 5 asindicated at 21. A retainer member 22 has a central opening 23 and anannular peripheral llange 24 which engages the top of the rubber bumpermember 17 as indicated at 25, thereby forming a groove 26 in which theupstanding shoulder 19 of the bumper member 17 engages. The retainer hasa plane surface 27 surrounding the opening 23 and is flared outwardly asindicated at 28;

A bell-shaped member or derby 30 is provided having a ared skirt portion31 and an annular flange 32 which is adapted to engage the plane surface27 of the retainer member. The bell member has an opening 33 in the topthrough which the stem 16 engages. A grip plate 34 having an opening 35engages over the stem 16 and the end of the stern is peened as indicatedat 16 to retain the grip plate on the stem. The grip plate has aplurality of legs 36 having sharp edges 37 which engage the inner sidewalls 38 of the chair leg to aid in retaining the shoe in the hollow legof the chair.

A glide or cap plate 39 has a plane surface 40 which engages the floorwhere the chair is used and is spaced from the rubber member 5 asindicated at 41 and has its edges turned upwardly and inwardly formingan annular rim 42 for engaging in the annular groove 8 of the -rubbermember 5 for retaining the glide on the rubber member and to provide aneasily movable chair over the floor surface.

In assembling the device constructed as described the stern 16 isinserted through the opening 10 in the rubber member S and the anges 15engage in the groove 14 of the rubber member. The rubber bumper 17 isthen placed over the stem 16 and the annular groove 43 engages over theannular rounded portion 44 of the rubber member 5 and the lower part ofthe tapered opening 18 engages against the tapered portion 9 of therubber member to form a tight tit thereon, as indicated at 45. Theretainer member 22 is then placed over the stem 16 until the lower sideof the flange engages against the iiange or plane surface 46 of therubber bumper member 17 and the upstauding annular shoulder 19 of therubber member tits in the annular groove 26 of the retainer member. Theinwardly and downwardly flared flange 24 of the retainer member lits inthe cone shaped upper portion of the opening 18 -of the rubber bumpermember 17. The bell-shaped member 30 is then sleeved over the stem 16and placed upon the flat portion 27 of the retainer member 22 whereafterthe stem'16 is inserted in the opening 35 of the grip plate 34 whichthen engages against the top 47 of the bell-shaped member and the stemis then peened over to form a rigid structure or shoe. The shoe is thenplaced in the open end 4 of the chair leg and pressed or swedged thereinuntil the lower edge 48 of the chair engages the flared portion 28 ofthe retainer member. The grip plate is slightly larger in diameter thanthe inside of the leg structure and assumes a downwardly ilared positionas best illustrated in Fig. 3 and the legs 36 with the sharp edges 37will bite into the inner surface of the tubular leg to retain the shoein place.

It will be noted that the rubber bumper member 17 extends outwardly fromthe leg of the chair to provide the bumper for the leg and to preventmarring of other furniture or stacking when the chairs are nested forshipping or storing. When the chair is in use the glide space 41 betweenthe cap plate 40 and the rubber member 5 will provide some resiliency inthe shoe when in use.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that I have provided an improvedbumper for a shoe for chairs or the like which is easily constructed andeconomical in use. Y What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. A shoe for a tubular chair leg comprising, a reminer having a bossengaging in the end of the leg and having-a lateral annular angeengaging the lower edge of (hechair leg and having a central opening, astem,r an up- Witdly extending annular ange on the lower end of theitem, a rubber member having an opening through which the stemextends,VV said rubber member having a socket in thereof and an annulargroove extending upwardly from the socket for receiving the annularilange stem, said rubber member having a boss on its upper side forengaging said retainer, a resilient bumper member having a centralopening engaging the boss on the rubber member. and extending outwardlybetween said member and said retainer beyond the periphery of said leg,and'means retaining the shoe in said leg.

2. A shoe for a tubular chair leg comprising, a retaner having a bossengaging in the end of the leg and having a lateral annular angeengaging the lower edge of the chair leg and having a central opening, astem, an

upwardly extending annular ange on the lower end of the stem, a rubbermember having an opening through which the stem extends, said rubbermember having a socket in the bottom thereof and an annular grooveextending upwardly from the socket for receiving the annular flange onsaid stern, said rubber member having a boss on its upper side forengaging said retainer, a bellshaped member having an annular angeengaging said retainer, a resilient bumper member having a centralopening engaging the boss on the rubber member and extending outwardlybetween said member and said retainer beyond the periphery of said leg,and means retaining the shoe in said leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS1,222,414 Klinsmann Apr. 10, 1917 2,290,001 Sherman July 14, 19422,637,063 Becker May 5, 1953 2,641,016 Kramcsak lune 9, 1953

